Daisy Chain to Destiny
by Tashii Cat
Summary: Germany seems to be having bad luck in the romance department and spiralling into drunken one night stands and brief unhappy affairs doesn't help either. Soon he wonders whether he really is cut out for a happy relationship. Rating may change depending.
1. Chapter 1

"I'm sorry when I say this but I don't think it's going to work out between us."

Ludwig stopped and froze. The same hands that scrubbed the white plate clean dropped it back into the sink, along with the rest of the crockery and cutlery submerged in the slightly murky water. It took him a few more seconds to process what had been said, before he slowly turned his head and met with an uncomfortable expression from Kiku. His brown eyes couldn't even make contact with the German's icy blue as the Japanese hands gripped the tea towel tightly. Germany gulped down the sore lump in his throat before speaking.

"Vat makes you say zat?" He did his best not to stammer through his strong accent. "If it's somezing I've done wrong, I'm sorry."

"No, you've done nothing wrong," Japan finished drying a white bowl and placed it on the top. "It's just…" Ludwig felt uneasy when Kiku paused because that meant that he was trying to say the cause of the problem in a polite way. However blunt or tactful his explanation would be, the truth was still going to hurt him emotionally. The Japanese man finally made eye contact with the blonde as though he was ready to speak. "I know we've been going out with each other for two months but for some reason, I don't know, I feel like I'm not the same person as I was when we first started going out together."

"Vat are you saying?" Ludwig said with concern as he passed a freshly cleaned fork to the dark haired man. "Do you feel awkward about us being togezer? Are you losing interest?"

"I don't know," Kiku snapped his eyes back to his hands wrapped around the tea cloth. "Until I know why I'm feeling this way, I wouldn't mind us being just friends. As soon as I find the problem and sort it out, we can go out with each other again like we used to. That is, if that's alright with you."

Ludwig had to admit that lately the Japanese man had been acting distant. He said he was fine every time the German asked about his well-being but his body language betrayed him every time and indicated what he said were lies. Ludwig remembered how they both confessed they had strong feelings of affection for each other; it was after Kiku invited him round for tea at his place and both of them felt since they were finally alone, they could admit their sentiments and share their first kiss with each other. However, that was two months ago. Perhaps after all that time, the relationship started to lose its novelty. Its one thing to be in a romantic affiliation but sticking to that commitment is a completely different matter and this was a hard lesson Ludwig was learning. He could beg to Kiku to try with him for a little longer, however, he didn't feel right denying him of that wish and plus begging wasn't his style. Despite not being happy with the decision, Ludwig looking down at the plate he previously dropped and gave it another wipe.

"If zat's vat you vant, zat's fine by me," He said monotonously. "I suppose it's best if we stay friends for the time being until you sort yourself out. Letting zhe problem escalate to zhe point vhere ve could fall out vith each ozer would be a sad scenario, so it's good zat you've bought zis up sooner."

"Arigato Ludwig-san," Kiku gave him a bow accompanied with a smile. "I glad you understand, even if I'm not sure myself what's going on with me. But I promise as soon as I've sorted my problem out, we'll go out with each other again."

"Ja," Ludwig nodded and passed another mug for Kiku to dry. "Zat sounds good."

!

A week passed since Ludwig and Kiku demoted their relationship to being just friends. The blonde, wearing his maroon suit, meandered down the hallway searching for the room where the world conference was being held. After all, he was the host country for the next couple of days and he couldn't afford to let the bitter blow distract him from that. He believed that all personal matters were to be left at home and that it shouldn't interfere with work life. But there have been times when that belief was tested; he grew a lot more agitated by people asking whether he was alright and generally felt down about his split up with Kiku. Feliciano had caught Ludwig more than once lamenting in his room and wondering why Kiku wanted to slit up with him an then he had to deny that he wasn't secretly on the verge of tears. Speaking of Italy…

"Ludwig! Ludwig, there you are!"

The blonde groaned. He recognised that shrill cry of excitement coming from him (Feliciano Vargas no less). Honestly, he's so childish that anyone would think he's still a teenager and even then he'd still be considered immature. He still sleeps around the German's house when he isn't at his own country and to top it off, Ludwig is always greeted with Feliciano sleeping next to him the next morning. But having said that, Ludwig did have the occasional soft spot for the Italian's child-like behaviour. It was the sort of foolish naivety that made him want to make sure he didn't land himself in a spot of bother no matter how annoying it was. But today was one of those days where he wasn't in the mood in dealing with Feliciano's cheerfulness. Finally, the auburn haired Italian caught up to Ludwig's side and walked at the same pace.

"So how are you feeling this morning?" Feliciano beamed. Ludwig glanced at the radiation the Italian emitted. It was almost as bright as his yellow, pinstripe shirt Italy wore. The German turned his head forward.

"I am feeling stressed about this conference," He started. "I doubt ve'd get anyzing sorted out to be honest."

Feliciano blinked his hazel coloured eyes. "Are you still sad about what happened between you and Kiku?"

There was a part of Ludwig that regretted telling Feliciano about his split with the Japanese man. But after one drunken evening, he ended up revealing his bottled up emotions in a tear-filling tale of woe. Although his version of events seemed more exaggerated than before he got himself drunk, Feliciano did have a better idea of what went on after speaking to Kiku, who was reluctant at first to divulging such information. In a way, he was glad that he told Feliciano about the events that occurred since the constant badgering from the Italian stopped. But that didn't mean he stopped him from worrying about him.

"Well it's like Kiku said, as soon as he sorts himself out, he's more than happy to go out with you again right?" Feliciano gave a comforting smile. Ludwig found it strange how the roles had reversed, seeing how he was usually the strong supportive figure who usually helped him out when he got himself into bother. Now Feliciano was the one giving him the encouragement needed to stay positive and the truth was, it did have some effect. Proof of this was a smile that rose on the German's lips as he turned his head to show it to the Italian.

"Ja, zat is true," Ludwig nodded. "He did promise after all."

"Well that's great Ludwig!" Feliciano raised his clenched hands into his chest and beamed once more. "At least you two still have a chance with each other!"

"I suppose zat is somezing," The blonde smooth his hair back before both countries finally arrived at the doors to the conference room. "You know? I'm starting to dread zis conference less."

!

And sure enough, the conference went smoothly considering the usual suspects disrupted the meeting at several points; mainly Arthur and Francis bickering, Ivan trying to get as many people as possible to become one with him and Alfred coming up with yet another illogical scheme that would be a fantastic idea for a fictional film but not for solving world problems. But not a single awkward glance was shared between Ludwig and Kiku throughout the conference. Both of them carried on professionally as if nothing had happened which was a pleasant surprise for the German.

Hours passed until Ludwig declared the meeting over for the day much to everyone's relief. Everyone apart from himself left the room (save for one or two cleaners who began tidying up the room for tomorrow's conference meeting). Feliciano did ask whether he wanted to walk home with him but the German told him he would be fine. After he packed the papers and black folder into his leather brown brief case, he made his way towards the door when he heard a buzzing sound coming from the large horseshoe shaped table. This made Ludwig stop and turn his head to find a silver mobile phone vibrating on the table. Who on earth would leave their mobile phone in such a place where people could easily take it? Without hesitation, Ludwig picked the phone up and read the name on the screen. Alfred? Whoever's lost their phone must have asked him if they could borrow his to call the one in the German's hand. Seeing how it was a sliding phone, Ludwig slid the keypad out and held the device to his ear.

"Hallo?"

"Ludwig-san? Oh thank goodness you've picked it up!" A relieved voice sighed through the speaker.

So it was Kiku who misplaced his phone? Normally the Japanese man wouldn't be so irresponsible as to not have it on his personnel. Feliciano he could understand but never Kiku. However, now wasn't the time to be thinking of such things because most probably he would have the solemn duty of delivering it to him.

"I'm so glad you've picked it up! I thought I've lost it and I was very worried someone else might have stolen it or worse." Kiku's voice spoke once more.

"Vell I vas just about to leave zhe building anyvay," Ludwig said as he exited the room into the hallway. "Just tell me vhere you are and I'll meet you zhere so I can give it back to you."

"Ah yes. Alfred-san and I are at the hotel we're staying in. It's called the Diamant-Platz hotel. My room number is one eight three." The Japanese answered.

"Alvight," The blonde walked out of reception out onto the cobblestone pavement. "Just stay vhere you are until I get zhere."

"Hai. Thank you ever so much Kiku. I'll see you when you get here." And with that, Kiku's voice was replaced with a long beep before Ludwig closed the phone keypad and placed the device into the inside pocket of his suit before making his way to the hotel.

Since he knew his home country well, it didn't take him long to find the hotel Japan spoke of. He hardly stayed at the place himself but he could tell this place was as luxurious as its name. A giant crystal chandelier hung from the white ceiling and the black and white marble tile people walked on had a shiny surface.

Nevertheless, Ludwig took the elevator to the appropriate floor and glanced at all the numbered doors until he found the wooden door labelled '183'. He bought out the phone ready to give to Kiku and knocked on the door with his free hand. The blonde gazed at the phoned and reminded him of all the messages he received from Kiku in the past; messages that said how much he loved him. Ludwig was half tempted to see whether he still kept some of them in his inbox somewhere but he decided against it. Besides, the door squeaked open before he even dared himself to do it. Ludwig looked up to find the dark haired man wearing everything (minus his suit jacket) standing at the door and he instinctively handed the phone over.

"Zis is yours I take it?" Ludwig asked.

"Hai, thank you so much," Kiku took his mobile back and clutched it close to his chest. "I am very grateful that you've found it. If there's anything I can do to repay you, you just need to tell me and I'll happily-"

"Nein, it's fine," Ludwig raised his hand to stop Kiku mid-sentence. "You don't need to do anyzing like zat. By zhe vay, is America still vith you?"

"Well-"

"Hey Kiku! Is Ludwig still at the door?" The American accent rang and before both countries knew it, the honey blonde haired man hovered behind Kiku. "Ludwig! How's it going?" He grinned.

"Not too bad danke," The German nodded his head slightly. "I trust you're happy vith your stay here so far?"

"Dude! I'm totally having a blast!" Alfred placed one hand on his waist. "Although those burgers you guys have ought to be eaten hot rather than cold. I mean, do you skip out on heating them sometimes or something?"

"They're called frikadellen and they can be eaten cold as well as hot because they've already been cooked previously," Ludwig explained unenthusiastically. And judging by Kiku's uncomfortable gestures, he felt awkward as well until he took the initiative of speaking up.

"Thank you once again for finding and delivering my phone," Kiku gave Ludwig a little bow of respect.

"Zat's no problem. I vas just doing vhat any decent person vould do," The German said. "Vell zhen, I should be vaking my vay home."

"Of course," Kiku smiled politely. "I'll see you tomorrow if I don't see you for the rest of the day."

"Yeah, same from me too," Alfred beamed.

"I'll see you tomorrow zhen," Ludwig turned to make his way back down the corridor.

He couldn't help but wonder what Alfred was doing in the same hotel room as the Japanese man. Maybe both of them were staying at this hotel because of coincidence. Actually, it was very likely that it was coincidence. It's not as if they planned to- what was Ludwig thinking? How could he accuse his friend of doing what he thought he was doing? Kiku would never ask to demote their relationship to being just friends and go out with someone else. He's too meek and polite to do such a treacherous thing as he would call it. Ludwig smoothed back his blonde hair until he remembered about some of the copies of paper in his brief case. He knew he gave them to everyone but knowing Alfred, he'd leave his copy as he did in the past. Then he'd ask for another copy because of whatever excuse he came up with at the time. Kiku turned on his heel and headed back towards room 183. He paced towards the door and grabbed the handle and pushed the door open.

"I'm sorry for barging in like zis but I vas wondering vether either of you two wanted another copy of-" His blue eyes suddenly widened with horror. What he witnessed in room 183 shattered his heart into many tiny pieces.

!

**A/N: I've been a bad girl and have decided to start another fan-fic instead of doing coursework. Oh the shame! This one came from a character meme I did a while back on DeviantArt and one of the questions asked to come up with a title for a fic based on a given summary. Bear in mind that I picked all ten names out of a hat, in a random order but I'm not going to give you the summary as I don't want to spoil the story too much. However you can find it in my gallery if you really want to know that badly (it would be under 'APH Meme Again'). But even so, I have changed the structure a lot and I have included things that are not mentioned in the paragraph.**

**And I have decided to experiment with dialect and accents in this story so I want you guys to tell if I'm doing a good job on that. Otherwise, leave your reviews and I hope you enjoy this story.**


	2. Chapter 2

Ludwig wished what he was seeing in room 183 was nothing but his imagination going into overdrive. Kiku and Alfed's lips locked into a passionate kiss. The Japanese man hastily broke away from the American in a moment of panic and snapped his head at Ludwig's devastated expression. A sudden sensation of guilt gnawed in Kiku's stomach knowing that he had witnessed the kiss.

"L-Ludwig-san…" His lips trembled as he bowed and clasped his hands together into a prayer. "I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!" The rest of Kiku's words began to sound muffled as the blonde tried to bring himself out from his frozen mind. How could Kiku do this to him? He said he had a problem with his relationship with Ludwig but he promised they could start over once he's gotten over that hurdle. So had that promise been a lie? The German mentally slapped himself. Of course it had to be a lie! He'd just seen their lips planted against each other and Japan looked as though he enjoyed it before he heard Ludwig's voice. So then had the last two months been a lie too? Maybe was the answer. There were times when he could tell Kiku's smiles were genuine when he was with him. The warmth he felt from his radiance was proof of that. And this radiance was the reason why the German couldn't bring himself to be angry at the submissive Kiku, who was at the mercy of his glare. Finally, Alfred broke the cold, long silence.

"Hey, what's wrong with you two? You both just suddenly went pale." He inquired and placed his hands on the Japanese shoulders. Ludwig half hoped that Japan would pull away from Alfred and ask him to leave while apologising for any inconvenience caused. But all the dark haired man did was cross his right hand over and touched the American's hand on his left shoulder. His eyes expressed sadness as though he apologised for not keeping his promise. Only one thought traversed through Germany's mind as he shared the same devastation.

The relationship with Kiku is over.

The German cleared his throat and prepared to leave. "Um… I'm sorry to have disturbed you. I'll see you tomorrow." His voice wavered.

"Hai," Kiku's dark brown eyes stared at the ground and nodded his head slightly. And with that, Ludwig exited through the door and shut it, leaving a sombre Japanese man and a confused American standing in the middle of the room.

"I wonder what's up with him," The honey blonde man's arms overlapped Kiku's chest. The other man sighed and clung onto the American limbs.

"I think both of us have found love in each other while hurting someone else in the process." He mumbled.

!

Ludwig lied on his bed staring at the ceiling with unfocused eyes. He hadn't shown any kind of emotion since he arrived at his home. He must have managed to supress his feelings of sorrow but in return, the only thing he could feel was numbness. Not even Feliciano could stir him from his dazed state with his cheerfulness and that usually provoked some kind of reaction from the German. His mind drew at nothing but the scene that met his eyes; Kiku, the man he loved for two months snogging Alfred's face off. The worst part was that he seemed to have solved his problem by going out with someone else. Sure, Kiku could feel better after his guilt trip but rejection still left Ludwig with a dull pain in his chest. So this must be what a broken heart feels like he thought to himself, although he hadn't shed any tears yet. Maybe the rejection hadn't sunk in yet and is waiting to strike when he would least expect it. After all, love came at unexpected times so why would pain be any different? Damn, if he burst into tears in the middle of the meeting tomorrow, he'll have a lot to answer for. No-one, not even Feliciano had ever seen him cry and Ludwig wasn't intending to start any time soon. Putting that aside though, he planned in his head about how he should approach Kiku about the problem that occurred. Talking to him calmly in a private place was a start. Definitely saying how he felt after witnessing Japan embrace Alfred with the same passion he shared with him was another good idea. He began scripting in his head what he could say to him tomorrow when-

"Vest! You're most awesome bruder has come to see you!"

"Great," Ludwig huffed in his head. "Just vhat I don't need at zis moment." The blonde made the effort of sitting upright to see his silver haired brother bearing his toothy grin.

"I heard from Feli zat you've been on a downer and not come downstairs since you've arrived home. So he called me, your awesome bruder, to see vhat is up vith you," Gilbert placed his hand on his chest; showing off what he considered his awesomeness.

"Vell you vasted your time coming here for nossing," Ludwig placed his feet onto the wooden floor and broke his eyes from Gilbert, who decided to counter it by sitting next to him making Ludwig feel less than comfortable.

"Aww, come on Vest! It hurts me when you say zat. After all, Feli called me because he vas vorried about you and as your bruder, I have every vight to be concerned about you too."

"I'm fine Gilbert," Ludwig folded his arms defensively and tried directing his attention away from his brother. "I'm just a little stressed out."

"Vell I know exactly vhat vill get rid of zhe stress and zat is beer!" Gilbert proclaimed as he wrapped his arm around the blonde's shoulders.

"Glibert, I'm not going to get myself drunk," Ludwig rolled his icy blue eyes. "I can't afford to anyvay because I still have to go to the conference meeting tomorrow."

"But beer solves everyzing!" The silver haired man threw his arms up in the air. "You have got learn to relax and not sink so much! Zat's vhy your head hurts all zhe time! I can see it hurts vight now!"

"Gilbert, I'd rather be left alone to sink at zis time," Ludwig gave him a cold stare from the corner of his eyes.

"Aww come on! Not even for vone beer?" Gilbert pouted his lips. "I promise you'll be up at zhe crack of dawn zhe next morning after you've had some drinks down ya! Come on! You know you vant to!" He nudged Ludwig's shoulder with his elbow hoping he would break him.

"Alvight! I'll go if you vould shut up!" The blonde snapped.

"Deal!" Gilbert punched the air victoriously. "Get yourself dressed for tonight! Feli's coming and Francis said he'd bring Antonio and Arsur too!"

"Arsur?" Germany blinked in a questioning manner. "But he hates zose guys. Did you blackmail him to come or somesing?"

"Vhat? No!" Prussia shook his head. "Francis saw him brooding about somesing and he asked vhether he vas up for a drink. He vas difficult at first but Francis used his charms to change his British mind."

"Zat or he said it to stop Francis pestering him," Ludwig muttered under his breath.

"Zhe point is, ve're going to zhe bar and drink our problems avay!" The silver haired man jumped from the bed and spun on the spot with joy. The blonde couldn't help but feel a sense of dread wash over him when Prussia declared that sentence so proudly.

!

For once in his whole life, Ludwig felt out of place sitting in a pub. Usually, he would have drunk the golden, frothy liquid without a care in the world but in his current pessimistic state, he only took small sips instead of glugging the glass down. How on earth did Gilbert convince him to come to the bar again? Oh yes, he wanted him to stop annoying him and decided to come just to shut him up. He scanned the rustic décor inside the room and found everyone's conversation overlapping each other irritating.

"Ludwig? Are you alright?" An individual voice managed to surface in the sea of noise.

Responding to his human name, the German slowly turned his head and found a gentle smile on the auburn haired Feliciano. Trust the Italian to come along for a drink because Ludwig said he was going. He knew how clingy Feliciano was when he was around.

"Not really Feliciano," The blonde sighed. "To be honest, I didn't veally vant to come out here."

"Oh," The Italian said giving his hands a subdued expression until he looked up and beamed at Ludwig. "Well once tomorrow comes, the conference would be over and you can have a rest." Ludwig didn't say anything about what happened with Kiku to Feliciano when he arrived home, so of course he still thought it was the conference that was stressing him out. And in his mind, that's how he preferred it to be. He didn't want Feliciano to stop being friends with Kiku just because he smashed the German's heart into a thousand pieces. It was his problem alone and in Ludwig's mind, it was ideal that it should be resolved between him and Kiku. That reminded him; he should really be thinking about what to say to him tomorrow. But then another voice rose through the talking crowds.

"We'll be off now. We don't want to be late for the conference tomorrow." Ludwig snapped out of his thoughts and directed his gaze at the blonde Frenchman and the brown haired Spaniard who stood up from the stools. Now would be a good time to leave the German thought.

"Veh! Ludwig, we should be going home too!" Feliciano said cheerfully as Ludwig rose from the stool. Suddenly he felt a hand press down on his shoulder pushing him back into his seat. His head snapped to Prussia who gave a smirk to the Italian.

"You guys can go ahead," The silver haired man grinned. "Ludvig and Arsur are still feeling grumpy so I sink a few more beers should cheer zem up."

"Well don't get zem too intoxicated," Francis cautioned him. "We need zem for the conference and Ludwig is our host."

"Ja, ja, ja," Gilbert waved his hand nonchalantly. "Zhey'll be zere as vight as rain, don't vorry."

"Oh, well, see you tomorrow Ludwig," Feliciano smiled before disappearing into the crowd with the other two countries. The German was going to protest but he still felt his brother's hand on his shoulder so resistance was futile. At least he wasn't Prussia's only prisoner; Arthur was held captive too, downing another pint of beer. Now that his brother mentioned it, the Englishman had been quiet save for a few insults aimed at Francis. By now he should be swearing like a navy and acting in an outrageous manner but so far, his gaze seemed to be dazed and aloof.

Going back even further, Arthur had been acting strange during the meeting. He made snide comments that only he and the mystery recipient seemed to know. Most likely it was addressed to Francis but if they were for him, it would have been obvious. And at the end of the conference, he acted colder than usual towards everyone and made small talk whenever anyone talked to him. Sure he can be a cantankerous bastard but throughout the day he withdrew himself more than usual. Ludwig opened his mouth to say something when Prussia shot up from his seat.

"I'm going to get us more beers!" He proclaimed. "And don't you two sink about sneaking off because I'll only hunt you down and drag you back here vhether you like it or not."

"Fine," Ludwig exhaled while Arthur completely ignored what Gilbert said. Once the Prussian made it to the bar, the German took this moment to ask why France managed to haul Arthur to the drinking house. "So… vhat did Francis do to bring you here?" His glance to Arthur was uneasy but the Englishman glanced back with a pair of dull emerald eyes.

"He was being annoying, the frog. He kept going on and on until I shut him up and said I'd come," He slurred. His voice seemed tired like he couldn't be bothered to speak. "And I suppose your brother dragged you kicking and screaming?"

"Ja, you could say zat," Ludwig smoothed out his blonde hair. "I don't vant to be here but zat's Gilbert for you." Arthur hummed in response, subconsciously circling the rim of his beer glass with his index finger. Ludwig took another sip out of his keg. "Um… vere you feeling alright during zhe meeting? I couldn't help but sink zere vas somesing wrong vith you. You didn't look alright."

"I was perfectly fine," Arthur said slightly agitated. But it took less than three seconds for that lie to be exposed when all of the sudden his hands flew up to his face and started sobbing into them. Either the beer had done its job and is encouraging him to come out of his shell or something was so catastrophically wrong, that he could no longer prevent his true emotions from gushing out of him. Ludwig watched sympathetically as Arthur wept in front of him. "This is all the American bastard's fault! If he hadn't have pissed off with that Japanese prick, I wouldn't feel so shit!"

"Vait! Did you say Japanese?" If Ludwig heard correctly, then he had a very good feeling who he was talking about. "You're not talking about Kiku are you?"

"Fucking Kiku!" Arthur slammed his fist on the table in anger. "Me and Alfred had something wonderful and he had to go and ruin everything!" A hiccup escaped from the Briton's mouth as he ruffled his straw-like hair, before tossing his arms into the air in frustration. "What's he got that I don't have huh? Does Alfred like wankers who wear those fucking robey things Japanese people wear? If I dressed up like that, maybe he'll love me again! I don't know! I need another drink!"

"And zhe awesome Gilbert Beilschmidt is here at your service!" The Prussian dumped the large metal tray of six full beer glasses onto the table. Ludwig was in a way glad his brother came in time to distract the Briton from his nervous breakdown but on the other hand, he wished the beverages were something less alcoholic. Arthur was only too glad to grab a beer glass and chug it as quickly as possible. Once Gilbert plopped himself on a stool he stared at Ludwig's half full glass in horror.

"Come on bruder! You haven't even touched your drink!" He jabbed his finger at the glass. "Go on! Get zat down ya!" Ludwig seemed unsure about the situation he'd gotten himself into. Arthur had already been claimed by the effects of alcohol and now his brother was expecting him to do the same thing. Thinking about it, both Ludwig and Arthur felt so depressed was because Alfred and Kiku dumped them and got together themselves. After he consulted with his inner feelings, Ludwig finally finished the other half of his beer and drunk another full glass.

!

"Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday," Arthur sang out of tune (very loudly) as he clumsily ambled with Gilbert walking beside his left side. Ludwig staggered to the Briton's right as he struggled to walk in a straight line.

"Suddenly!" Ludwig belted out which unleashed Gilbert's laughter.

"I'm not half the man I used to be, there's a shadow hangin' over me," As Arthur wailed that particular line; Ludwig's arms loomed over the Englishman's head and tried to imitate the line about the ominous shadow. Gilbert grabbed the two drunk's arms and led them towards the house he recognised as Ludwig's. At least Gilbert had a high alcohol tolerance level, or they would have spent all night haunting the streets with their terrible singing. How on earth Gilbert managed to tow both Ludwig and Arthur to the door was a complete mystery but he unlocked the door and guided them through it. Arthur tripped over the door step and landed with a thud causing both Ludwig and himself to cackle quietly. Gilbert quickly switched the lights on and illuminated the living room which made it easy to throw the two drunken countries onto the pea green couch.

"Alvight you two, sit on zhe sofa and calm yourselves down. I'll see if I can't find something to sober you guys up," Gilbert said in an unusually authoritive tone of voice as he wandered into the kitchen, leaving the two countries giggling. It wasn't until Arthur turned his head to Ludwig that the sniggers quietened down.

"You know? We've both been dumped by stupid jerks," The Englishman whispered as he snuggled up to the German. "We should get married just to spite them."

"Zat is a vunderbar idea," Ludwig murmured back as he draped an arm over the Briton's shoulder. "Ve'll have a vedding so big zat no-one vould be able to make a better vedding zan us."

"And, and… I'm going to walk down the aisle in a big, puffy, white dress with a really, really long trail," Arthur's index and middle finger walked up the German's other arm.

"You can't vear zat," Ludwig's hand slid under the Briton's thigh and bought his leg over his own.

"Why not?" Arthur whined wrapping his arms around the blonde's broad neck.

"Because I vant to vear zhe big, puffy, vhite dress with zhe long trail," Ludwig unintentionally stroked the leg and pretended it was the trail he envisioned. This action made Arthur shiver as he gazed at the German lovingly and let out a quiet laugh.

"We can both wear the dresses, happy?" He cradled Ludwig's cheeks and bought his face closer to his so the tips of their noses touched. And before they knew it, their lips made contact like a magnetic force pulled them together. Arthur climbed onto Ludwig and straddled on top for better access to which Ludwig complied without complaint. His masculine fingers found their way underneath Arthur's white shirt and caressed his skin which earned himself a little moan from the Englishman. The Briton's digits meanwhile ran through Ludwig's smooth blonde hair and trailed down to his neck and jawline again. Their kiss grew more passionate until they broke away for air. Ludwig's blue orbs gazed at Arthur's green with fascination. They had never looked so bright and illuminated before whenever he's seen them and he wondered how on earth Alfred could leave Arthur for Kiku. The Englishman thought the exact same thing as Ludwig's face mesmerised him. Either way, both of them agreed that each other's gaze were going to be one of the many losses Alfred and Kiku would have bear.

"Zose two don't know vhat zey're missing," Ludwig finally panted.

"Aye," Arthur chuckled. "We're better off without those bastards."

The Briton's lip leant closer once more and licked Ludwig's ear lobe. The German let out a pleasurable moan as his hands danced across Arthur's back once more. The British lips found their way back the German ones again and pushed his tongue against Ludwig's teeth begging for access. Ludwig was all too happy to grant access to Arthur as both tongues explored the alcohol scented orifices. Arthur pinned the German on his back while their tongues twisted and fought for dominance. Taking initiative, Ludwig's hands floated up to the Briton's shirt and unfastened the buttons. Arthur assisted his actions by shimmying out of the garment before it found its way onto the floor. The British hands grabbed the German's brown jacket and tried to pull it off. Ludwig arched his back so Arthur to yank it off and throw it away. Arthur's nimble fingers unbuttoned the other's shirt and tossed that away too. Their lips briefly broke contact to desperately gasp for air. Ludwig heaved himself upright to which Arthur co-operated by retracting himself away but he was still close enough for the German's hand t tenderly stroke his cheek.

"Ich liebe dich Arsur," Ludwig's voice slurred breathlessly. Slightly aroused by this, Arthur leant closer to his face.

"Ick liba… Ick liba…" He struggled to pronounce what Ludwig had just said before giving up. "Oh fuck it! I love you, you sexy Kraut."

Their intoxicated lips locked together for the third time but they still allowed their tongues to whirl around in each other's mouths. The pleasurable moans escaped their throats with both pairs of hands grazing over their hot skin. Both nations were engrossed in their own world that they didn't hear Gilbert enter the room.

!

**What is this? I don't even… this chapter alone and the next one alone is why I believe Arthur and Ludwig should NOT be together. However, over time this pairing kind of grew on me.**

**Anyway, I'm still experimenting with dialect and I really would appreciate it if you guys tell me if it's good, or whether I should just stick to the English spelling and hope you guys imagine the accents coming to play.**

**Happy Thanks Giving to all you Americans and please review! Your words of kindness (or criticism) is very much appreciated. And I nearly forgot, the song Arthur and Ludwig sang is 'Yesterday' by the Beatles. The song does not belong to me.**


	3. Chapter 3

Gilbert broke his promise about Ludwig and Arthur feeling well the morning after. It wasn't like the German remembered much of last night anyway, mainly because he was more concerned about the pounding headache he woke up to. The intrusive sunlight that poked through the blue curtains, shone on his screwed up expression. One eye opened slightly before Ludwig couldn't tolerate the beam and placed his hand in front of his face for protection. Why did he have to sleep on the side nearest to the window anyway he thought to himself? His stomach sickly swam as he attempted to face the light without the aid of his hands. At least Ludwig's reaction to the morning improved just a fraction and managed to squint with both eyes. With his splitting headache and the pain stabbing his stomach, he wished he could call in sick. However, he couldn't afford to skip the second day of the conference meeting because he was the host. Shit. His body felt so heavy that he wondered whether he could even drag himself out of bed. Wait, how did he manage to get himself from the bar back to his bed last night? At least Ludwig was grateful he had enough strength to haul himself there instead of crashing onto the sofa. He would have felt sorer than he already was at present. Bringing his tortured mind back on the subject about the conference meeting, he gasped in panic and darted his eyes to the digital alarm clock on his bedside table. 9:30am. Any normal human being (and some of the other nations) would have no chance waking up to a hangover before midday, let alone half past nine in the morning. But because this was Ludwig, his biological clock wouldn't allow it since the meeting was due to start at eleven 'o' clock sharp. Not wanting to waste any time, he turned and shook a human sized lump hidden underneath the white blanket.

"Feliciano! Vake up! Ve're going to be late if you don't get up now!" Ludwig yanked the blanket off the figure. But instead of finding the Italian, his eyes widened with horror to the blonde haired Englishman who hugged the German's left arm.

"I wanna ride the pretty pink pony…" He mumbled in his sleep. Ludwig all at once roared at the top of his voice, waking Arthur from his dream. "Shut the fucking light up!" The Briton snarled as his arm lazily grabbed as much of the blanket he could gather and pulled it over his head. After realising how loud his screech was, Ludwig cringed at the migraine his loud volume intensified.

"Vhat are you doing in my bed!" The German tried to speak without triggering another sharp pain, as he drew the blanket off Arthur.

"What are you doing _my_ bed? Now get lost! I've got a headache!" He groaned jerking the cover over himself again. It was shocking to Ludwig how Arthur seemed to be more concerned about battling the pains of a hangover, than the fact that he woke up next to the personification of Germany of all people.

"Zis isn't a game of who zhe fick's in who's bed!" Ludwig shouted as he struggled to heave his painful self upright, as did Arthur. "Do you remember anysing from last night?"

"Not a bloody clue," He winced as he clutched onto his whirling head. "I suppose you don't know either?"

"Nein," The German looked down until his face pricked up apprehensively. Why was his own chest bare? Ludwig quickly lifted the blanket only to thump it down on his thigh. His cheeks suddenly flared a deep shade of red. "Please tell me you're vearing your undervear."

Arthur's eyebrows lifted and checked under the covers to see whether his waist was 'exposed'. "I've got my boxers on if that's what you're asking." But the German still felt uneasy as he only managed to notice some white, creamy splodges on Arthur's chest as well as his own.

"Arsur," Ludwig's voice wavered. He daren't touch the substance on his skin. "Please, _please_ don't tell me ve didn't do vhat I sink ve've done." The Briton looked down on his chest and scooped some of the sticky substance onto his fingers. He briefly leant over the side of the bed before turning back to his fingers. Hegulped for a moment before he did the one thing that repulsed Ludwig. He licked his index finger. While he inspected the taste, many panicky things flew across the German's mind since teaching Italy about throwing grenades. They really didn't take part in a drunken orgy did they? How much did they drink last night? What else don't they remember doing? Questions like these drove Ludwig more into a panic. If the other nations knew about their activities of last night, neither of them would be able to live it down or be taken seriously ever again. Well, Arthur was never taken seriously in the first place but Ludwig's reputation would fall down the drain and-

"It's yoghurt," Arthur said.

The German returned to the situation at hand and looked at the Englishman quizzically. "Vhat?"

"We're covered in vanilla yoghurt," Arthur repeated and hung over the bed once more before reverting to his upright position again. This time he held a blue yoghurt pot in each hand, both of them empty with a few traces of the substance around the inside and the rim. Somehow the news didn't ease Ludwig one bit. He needed some concrete confirmation of what happened the night before; the reason why he found Arthur and himself in bed almost completely naked (or in Ludwig's case, fully exposed) smothered in yoghurt. Suddenly the door burst open and a new voice grated both the nation's ears.

"Morning ladies!" Both countries grimaced to the sheer volume of the greeting. Once the pain subsided, they turned and glared at a fully dressed Gilbert Beilschmidt leaning casually against the door frame.

"Not so loud Gilbert," Ludwig rubbed his forehead. "I've got a splitting headache."

"Oh so sorry little bruder," The albino said in an uncaring tone. "I sought you said you'd only have vone pint of beer. But zen you changed your mind and glugged down zhe ozer half of zhe tray vith Arsur. I sought you'd be more sensible zan zat bruder, especially since you have a conference to go to in a few hours."

"Gilbert, I demand an explanation now. Vhat happened last night?" Ludwig seethed through his teeth which provoked a cackle from the Prussian.

"Oh you two were hilarious last night! If only everyone else hadn't had left early. Zen zey vould have gotten the date for your vedding!"

"Vedding?" The dread continued to mount up in Ludwig.

"I remember discussing no such thing!" Arthur protested.

"Not even the big, puffy, white dress with the long trail? You two vere practically shouting it to zhe vorld! I've got zhe video and everysing!" Gilbert smirked.

"Video?" As soon as the word cropped up, Ludwig and Arthur knew something bad was going to come out from it.

"Ja!" The Prussian whipped out his camera phone from his trouser pocket and scrolled down the menu on the screen. "Who knew drunk Ludvig and Arsur could be so fun to vatch? Oh, here it is!" Gilbert stepped into the bedroom and showed the screen to the two nations at arms length. Both of them swore the albino turned up the volume on his phone on purpose. The audio that entered their ears and the film that played mortified them to say the least.

"_Oh Asur, you've got some yoghurt on your cheek. Let me lick it off for you." _

"_Whoops! Oh dear Ludwig. It looks like I've spilt some on you love."_

"_Ah-ha! Zat tickles!"_

"_Just relax will you? I'm trying to clean you up. Oh God, why do you taste so good?"_

"_I could ask you zhe same question. Mmmm… you're so delicious Arsur I could eat you all up."_

"_Oh Ludwig you're so tasty. God you taste so sweet. I don't know why anyone would want to let you go…"_

"_I want you so bad Arsur… I…" _

"_Kesese, this is going on my awesome blog!"_

When the video finished, both Ludwig and Arthur's expressions could only be described as pure horror. Both their mouths gaped and their eyes didn't even blink. There were only two things that rushed through their minds; the first was the undeniable disbelief that they smothered each other in vanilla yoghurt and licked it off each other in a seductive manner. The second was that Gilbert had managed to film every moment of their drunken romance and they didn't even retaliate. Once they bought themselves back to reality, Gilbert was met with the glares of death. This gave him a signal to run as fast as he could but the German's hand clasped tightly around his wrist before he could make his getaway.

"Arthur! Grab his phone!" Ludwig barked as the Englishman wasted no time launching himself out of the blankets and diving into Gilbert with a force that knocked him down on his back.

"Get off my awesome self! You're getting yoghurt all over me!" The Prussian yelled as he wrestled with Arthur's flurry of grabbing hands.

"I'll get off you when you give me your bloody phone, you wanker!" The Briton's limbs clambered over Gilbert, who furiously waved the device just to make it difficult for him to grab. Both pairs of arms swayed rapidly and neither one was going to back down easily. Ludwig knew he had to give Arthur the upper hand.

"Arsur! Poke him in zhe ribs! He's ticklish zhere!"

"Ludwig you traitor! Now zat's un-ha ha! Stop it! It tickles!" The Prussian laughed and squirmed under the Briton's weight.

"So, the great Prussia is ticklish in the ribs? How amusing," Arthur smirked. "If I had known that in my pirating days, I would have given you no mercy."

"Ha ha ha ha! S-s-s-stop! Ha ha ha ha ha- fuck off Arsur! AAARRGH!" Gilbert cried out a sound between a laugh and a scream as he lowered his arms to defend his chest. This was the chance Arthur had hoped for and prized the phone off the albino's clinging fingers.

"Ludwig! Catch!" The Englishman lobbed the phone in the German's direction. Unfortunately, the throw seemed off and Ludwig's reactions weren't quick enough to grab the phone mid-air. In desperation, he nearly threw himself off the bed in a last bid to catch the phone but before he knew it, crash! The phone hit the wooden floor hard. Everyone froze for a second until Gilbert shoved Arthur off himself and scrambled to his feet in a desperate bid to reach his phone. Ludwig wanted to jump out of bed to snatch the phone away but he felt too self-conscious being naked. Gilbert scooped the phone into his hands and jabbed his finger at the touch screen.

"You ficken bastards! The screen has a crack and now I can't get it to work! You've broken it you bastards!" He screeched at the top of his voice. Arthur and Ludwig breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the video would never get to see the light of day. The German raised an alleviated smile and turned his head towards the Englishman when the time on the clock caught his eyes. 10:00am.

"Scheiße!" Ludwig shot out and clambered over the bed to grab a pair of underwear from the bedside drawer while glaring at the Englishman. "Get up Arsur! Ve have to get ready and get to zhe building in vone hour!"

!

Throughout the meeting, Ludwig tried to avoid eye contact with Arthur. After ridding themselves of the yoghurt on their skin, scouring the house for their lost clothes, escaping from Gilbert's wrath over his mobile phone, Arthur demanding to go back to his hotel to change into some clean clothes and Ludwig's unusually erractic driving skills which nearly caused an accident; they barely made it to the meeting on time. To make the situation more awkward than it was, they burst through the door to the entrance room at the same time, earning themselves some questioning looks from the other nations and same perverse comments from Francis. Anyone who had the ability of sensing the mood found it odd how Ludwig felt more uncomfortable during the meeting than he did yesterday. Even if they did manage to destroy all the incriminating evidence of their activities last night, both Arthur and Ludwig swore never to mention the brief drunken romance. But they also made Gilbert swear he won't breathe a word about the night before (not unless he wanted his secret stash of beer and Gilbird to be held hostage).

When the end of the meeting finally came, Ludwig felt alleviated knowing he managed to keep up appearances of being a good host, despite going through two terrible days. Now he can concentrate on recovering from his break up with Kiku and have some time to himself to relax. He began listing the things he could do when an obnxious voice interrupted his train of thought.

"So, 'ow is your 'eadache Ludwig?" The German recognised the nasal accent and turned to find Francis radiating one of his supposed flashing smiles.

"Vhat do vant Francis?" He moaned apprehensively.

"Aaw, that's not a nice way to speak to someone 'oo is merely concerned pour vous," The Frenchman was clearly mocking Ludwig. If they weren't in an important place, Ludwig would have thrown his fist at Francis' nose. "I 'eard from your brother about your alcohol fuelled night with Artur and he specifically asked me to see whether you were alright."

Ludwig stopped and glared at Francis. "Vhat did he tell you?" He growled.

"He told me nothing," The Frenchman twirled one of his blonde curls and pulled his cell phone out of his white trouser pocket. "But he did show me your pitiful state from last night. Apparement there was something very wrong with the both of you and after you drunk so much, you two shared a very intimate moment together."

"You have no proof of zat!" Ludwig snapped as his hands tightened into fists.

"Oh non? Then 'ow do you explain the lovely couple here?" Francis pressed a few buttons on his cell phone before showing it to the German. Ludwig felt everything was spiralling out of control from the moment his eyes met a reminder from last night. How was it even possible that Francis' phone possessed the picture? Gilbert's phone broke this morning. Then he realised that Gilbert must have sent the evidence to him at some point before his phone was flung across the room. His nails dug into the palms of his hands. Next time Ludwig would see his brother he'll wring his neck. But right now, he had to confront Francis.

"You and Arthur do make a lovely couple," The Frenchman commented. "Gilbert told me you two were talking about making plans for a grand wedding. So when is it going to be?"

"Ve vere both drunk!" Ludwig retorted. "Ve didn't know vhat ve vere saying at zhe time!"

"Of course," Francis smirked. "Still, I never knew you 'ad any form of romance in you. Normalement, you're a little frosty towards well, anyone. If only I could 'ave seen your soft side for myself. But if anyone asks whether you can be, 'ow shall I say, romantic; I could just show them the pictures and the video."

"You vouldn't dare!" Ludwig suddenly spat.

"Oh come on Ludwig. You're just as 'ighly strung as Artur. You need to learn to relax and let yourself loose. You may find you'd feel less stressed that way." Francis turned his head away until he let out a chuckle. This made Ludwig feel anxious as the Frenchman flashed him a mischevious smile. "Of course, I can always 'elp you with that... if you want to keep your reputation intact."

Ludwig sensed dread as soon as he saw his expression. Something didn't feel right. "Are you black-mailing me?" He stammered.

"It depends," Francis leered closer to the German. "Let me show you 'ow to really charm anyone and I'll keep quiet about your secret romance with Artur."

Ludwig could not believe that his life had taken a downturn; first Kiku asks to be just friends with him and then go out with Alfred. Then Gilbert recorded evidence of his brief drunken relationship with Arthur and now Francis is black-mailing him using the pictures and video Gilbert had collected. Ludwig never got on with Francis but for him to stoop that low made the German feel nauseous. But Francis always found a way of benefitting from the sidelines and this felt worse than when the Frenchman ordered him to make enough cuckoo clocks to sell and pay off his debt. Ludwig gave a sigh of defeat, knowing that if he refused Francis would most certainly spread the pictures and videos like wildfire.

"Alvight, vhat do you vant me to do?" He grumbled.

"Well I saw something of interest that is supposed to be 'appening on my way 'ere and I wanted someone to accompany me," The Frenchman explained. "No-one seems to be available and as much as I want to go, I do not wish to go alone. You want me to keep the events of last night a secret and I want someone to keep me company at an event tonight. It's a good deal when you think about it." Without any warning, Ludwig felt Francis' arm wrap around his shoulders and squeezed him in a boa constrictor like grip. He wanted to pull away but he felt like he had no choice but to suffer being in contact with him in case Francis thought he was going to refuse.

"So I am going to ask very nicely, will you accompnay me for tonight?" The Frenchman asked sweetly. The tone of voice made Ludwig sick to the stomach. There was no way he would like whatever he was going to get himself into. After all, this was Francis he was talking about, so there was no doubt whatever activity he had planned was going to be perverse. He sighed once again knowing that he would rather keep whatever pride he was supposed to have left after the night before.

"Alvight," Ludwig exhaled. "I'll come attend whatever it is you wanted to do."

"Excellent!" Francis beamed. "I'll let you know where and when to pick me up and I'll give you the directions when we meet face to face."

Ludwig groaned. Whatever he was going to be doing with Francis tonight, he was sure that it won't end well for him.

!

**I have been incredibly busy with coursework from college and for the next week or so, I'm going to have to give two presentations for my assignments. So chapter 4 is not going to come anytime soon.**

**I found it odd how I was able to do a whole sex scene in 'Two Countries, One World', but I felt uncomfortable writing the 'out of context' dialogue for when Ludwig and Arthur smother themselves in yoghurt and lick it off each other. That folks is why I don't think I'll be supporting GerUk anytime soon.**

**Until then, enjoy this chapter and leave me reviews!**


	4. Chapter 4

"You're going out again Ludwig?" Feliciano peered around the door and watched the German fasten his white tie around the collar of his white shirt. The blonde sighed knowing fully well what the Italian meant. During the lunch hour, Ludwig repeatedly insisted nothing bad happened when Feliciano asked about the night Gilbert held him and Arthur hostage at the bar over and over again. He'd rather have the event forgotten or wiped out from history, never to be bought up again like so many other unfortunate events he could list in his head. The blonde let out a sigh.

"Vell since zhe conference is over for now, I may as vell take some time to relax and enjoy myself," Ludwig practically lied and he felt fortunate that Italy wasn't good at sensing the mood.

"Well try not to drink too much beer this time," Feliciano continued speaking in his upbeat tone. "Prussia said you were so drunk last night that you kept falling over. I was worried you might have hurt yourself."

The German growled quietly under his breath. Gilbert must really be mad at him for not catching his phone if he resorted to breaking his promise behind Ludwig's back. Either way, he hoped he spared Feliciano the details of the night before with Arthur and the tubs of yoghurt. He opened his mouth to ask the Italian how much Gilbert told him about last night when the sound of the door bell rang throughout the house. This filled Ludwig with a sense of dread.

"Veh! I'll go see who's at the door!" Feliciano chimed as he dashed out of the room and down the stairs. The blonde's anxiety built up inside of him; Italy's going to open the door and find that French moron asking for his presence in a casual tone, when in reality he could be taking him out to… Ludwig didn't even want to finish off the sentence because knowing Francis; he'd have some perverted activity in mind. And then the dreaded call from downstairs came.

"Ludwig! It's Francis! He's wondering whether you're ready to go out with him!" Feliciano's voice cheerfully announced. The German growled softly as he slipped his brown jacket on himself and stroked his blonde hair back. Satisfied that his hair had no rebellious kinks whatsoever, he forced himself out of his bedroom and reluctantly made his way downstairs.

He did contemplate about pretending to be ill and _really_ hoping Francis would just have to come back another night. However that was not possible without the Frenchman carrying out his threat, and the fact that he couldn't turn back after he reached the bottom of the stairs, catching a smirk off Francis propped casually in the doorway.

"Shall we make our move zen?" The Frenchman grinned. His over-confidence made Ludwig want to punch him on the nose and make it bleed all over his flashy, white suit. But because Feliciano was present, he had no choice but to hold his anger back and instead nod his head slightly.

"Lets just go," The German passed the auburn haired Italian and shoved past Francis. Feliciano waved his hand as the two walked away from the house.

"Addio! Try not to get too drunk this time Ludwig!"

The German flinched at the last sentence and grabbed the car handle door of his Volkswagen when he felt Francis tap his hand away from it.

"Ah ah ah," He shook his head. "We're walking. I want to build up zhe mood for zis occasion." Oh dear God! Francis really did have something perverse in mind. Unfortunately, the constant reminder of his blackmail forced Ludwig to abandon the car and stroll in the dark, damp streets while bombarded by the Frenchman's conversational advances. He was definitely not in the mood to talk, especially to Francis of all people. Why oh why did he have to agree to going out with him? Why did he have to get himself drunk to the extent where he and Arthur shared a passionate night together? And why didn't he kill Gilbert before he sent the photos and video to Francis? Admittedly he probably should have controlled his emotions and his beer intake when he found out Kiku was going out with Alfred of all people. That's what caused the problem in the first place. If he'd been more sensible like he usually was, he wouldn't have allowed himself to wander into such an embarrassing situation.

"Ludwig, we're 'ere," The annoying French accent bought Ludwig back from his thoughts and stared at the public house before his eyes drifted to the cruel reality, in form of a sign, glaring at him.

"Speed dating?" The German scowled. "You're black mailing me to go speed dating vith you?"

"Not black mailing," Ludwig felt Francis slide beside his and felt a less than uncomfortable arm slither around his shoulders, making Ludwig shudder. "I know you've been 'aving relationship problems lately. So I zought zis could 'elp you find yourself a lover." Ludwig's irises narrowed.

"How do you know about-"

"Allon-sy! Your potential lover is waiting pour vous!" Francis pushed the reluctant German into the building with great effort. Ludwig's heels dug into the dark blue carpet only for his steps to be hitched by the Frenchman's force and before he knew it, they reached the cluster of people who seemed to have turned up for the speed dating session as well, filling in what seemed like application forms. Some looked like they were excited while others looked nervous but willing to go through with it, and then there was an apprehensive Ludwig who really did not want to be there. He snapped his head around the room to search for any emergency exits when a girl with curly, brunette hair made Ludwig jump and squeak at the same time with a simple 'hello'.

"You're here for the speed dating session, ja?" She beamed and handed him a blank application form. Ludwig glanced at Francis who was scribbling on his form before he turned back to the girl and unwillingly nodded. The German found a secluded place to fill in the paper with his shaking hand. He struggled to write each word mainly because he didn't want to and secretly he hoped that by being slow he could miss the whole speed dating session. Unfortunately, Francis was not going to allow that and snatched the application form and gave it to the host before Ludwig had the chance to secretly dispose it.

By the time all the application forms were all accounted for, the woman called everyone over so she could take photographs of each person. Francis being Francis flashed his million watt smile while Ludwig's smile was forced. After the photos had been taken, the host called everyone to attention and explained the process of what was going to occur. Ludwig was only half listening to what she was saying as he had a little idea of what it involved; two people (a male and female) sit down on a table each and they have a limited amount of time to introduce and discuss things about themselves. After the time limit is up, the males rotate in whatever direction the host instructed and the cycle would continue like this until everyone has talked to each other. It was this vicious cycle that Ludwig dreaded to take part in. How was he supposed to talk about himself to a complete stranger without feeling self conscious? What would he talk about for that matter? He couldn't simply say he's a personification of a country, no way! The girls would think he's mad and the last thing he'd want to do was leave them with the impression of a madman. And before he knew it, the host ordered everyone to take their places. A dull pain ached in the German's stomach as he took his seat and waited for the hostess to begin the cruel cycle.

The first round commenced in the form of a blaring air horn and immediately, each couple started their conversations. Ludwig was completely caught off guard and yelped as soon as the brunette girl in front of him simply said 'hello'. After somewhat composing himself, he cleared his throat. "M-My name's Ludvig. I vas… dragged here by… my friend." He seemed to growl the last part seeing how friends would not use evidence of any kind to blackmail them to make them do what they wanted. And this was Francis he was talking about and he always managed to find a way to benefit from the side lines, the sneaky bastard. The girl responded with a giggle and a sympathetic smile.

"Oh. So you came out of your freevill?" She asked cheerfully. Ludwig sighed and quickly counted how many other girls he had to talk to. Including the one in front of him, twelve. The blonde exhaled in frustration knowing he was going to be into forced conversations as the girl rightly said, against his will.

With each passing minute, Ludwig liked to believe that he was holding his own out there, but each time he felt that way and glanced at the obnoxious Frenchman charming girl after girl, he'd lose what little confidence he had and start rebuilding it again. He only felt that things got worse with every conversation that started with a different girl. Finally after what seemed like hours later everyone had finally got to know each other briefly and was currently ticking boxes, on sheets of paper, to see who had taken their fancy. However, Ludwig's pen still hovered above the piece of paper. As much as he would like to tick a name, he just couldn't bring himself to as none of them appealed to him. He even shuddered at the thought of one girl who had this strange obsession with parrots. It was then that Francis' voice annoyed his ears.

"So which ones did you like?" He asked as he peered over Ludwig's shoulders and tutted. "Really? You didn't like any of zem? Surely you must 'ave liked _one_ girl."

"None of zem appealed to me," The German groaned his pen still not touching the paper, making Francis turn his nose up.

"Why don't you do what I do and tick all of zem? Alzough zhe parrot girl may not be zhe one pour vous."

"I'm not going tick anyvone!" Ludwig snapped. "I vent along with your stupid black-mailing scheme so leave me alone!" Francis opened his mouth only for it to be a waste when Ludwig marched out of the building into the rainy night. The Frenchman stood there for a moment before making his way across the room, to the display board where the results would be posted up.

Outside however, Ludwig didn't care about the fact that it he was sitting on a bench in the rain at thirty seven past ten at night. He didn't care that he wasn't carrying an umbrella. He just wanted to go home, dry himself off and close his eyes to enter his slumber on his warm, safe and yoghurt free bed. All he had to do was order a taxi home and-

"Privet Ludwig. What you're doing out in the rain without an umbrella at this time of night? You could catch a cold you know."

The strong accented voice sent a chill down the German's spine. There was only one person who had the talent to do that. He looked up and his suspicions were confirmed when his ice blue eyes met a frostier pair of violet orbs. The man, holding a black umbrella, towered over Ludwig but greeted him with a friendly smile. The German's gaze wasn't as frightened as they first were as his stare became calmer. "Guten nacht Ivan," He said in a tired tone. "Vhat are you doing out here at zis time of night?"

The platinum haired man chuckled and extended his umbrella over the German. "If you must know, I was just sight-seeing. Your place is so pretty."

Ludwig gave a confused glance at the Russian and uttered, "Um… danke."

"You look like you could do with a drink," Ivan suggested. "In fact, help me look for a place where they do some good vodka and I'll buy the first round for us, da?"

Ludwig flinched at the word in his head. The last time he tried to drown his sorrows; he woke up next to someone other than Feliciano, in his bed, smothered in yoghurt. So of course Ludwig felt reluctant to take Ivan up on his offer. Plus he still harboured distrust for the Russian since the Second World War. He was the guy who beat his brother into submission. However after looking at Ivan, he was being unusually kind and kindness had been a rare thing to come across for the past few days. Well, Ivan would be kind if he helped him find a public house that served some descent vodka. And it was also raining. Taking everything into consideration, he nodded his head.

"Alvight, I'll come. I know just zhe place for good vodka but I'm not going to drink too much tonight."

"Excellent," Ivan grinned. "You show the way, da?"

Despite the little uneasiness in the pit of his stomach, Ludwig needed to take his mind of that disaster of a speed dating session. One drink couldn't possibly hurt, right?

!

**I apologise for getting this chapter out so late. I was very busy with a lot of things and a lot did happen which affected my attention to this story. And later chapters may come slower as I'm going to be busy with college work but I promise that I will get this story finished. And thank you for the kind reviews, they make me so happy.**


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